Flowers For Ichigo
by Mrs. Passionate
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo, after defeating Aizen and restoring peace to his town, has been feeling that something or someone is missing from his life. Trying to figure out what it is that’s been tugging at his mind, a flower appears at his doorstep.
1. Friendship

Flowers For Ichigo

Author's Note: My first attempt at a bleach story. I hope ya like. Lot's of thanks to my beta

Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo, after defeating Aizen and restoring peace to his town, has been feeling that something or someone is missing from his life. Trying to figure out what it is that's been tugging at his mind, a flower appears at his doorstep.

"Yea, laugh it up"

Rukia continued to laugh, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "Come on! It's not like we're making fun of you or anything."

Glaring Ichigo rubbed his temples. "Who sends a guy flowers? I mean, isn't that weird?"

Rukia looked at him skeptically. "Why would that be weird? I mean, it's kinda funny when you think about it."

Ichigo continued to rub his temples. "I ask again why would me receiving flowers be funny?" Raising his voice slightly, Ichigo's shoulders slumped.

She stopped laughing and looked at Ichigo seriously.

"Well, it's funny 'cause who is suicidal enough to send **you,** of all people, flowers?" she put her hands up shaking her head back and forth. It was just not something someone in their right mind would do.

"Yea, strawberry-chan, no one's that crazy."

Ichigo glared at the redhead. "Don't call me strawberry, pineapple!"

Renji stood and clenched a fist. "Don't call me pineapple, bastard!"

They continued to yell back and forth. Ichigo wanted to punch the redhead in the face. All morning since he had received that godforsaken flower they'd been making it their business to make sure they expressed delighted they were that someone had the balls to send him one. It all started that morning…

~Flashback~

"Ichi-nii, you gotta get up!" Ichigo's sister Yuzu said, shaking her brother awake.

Mumbling, Ichigo turned over to face his sister. "Alright already. I'm up, I'm up," sitting up in bed and stretching. He hated mornings. After the defeat of Aizen and the Espada everything had gone relatively back to normal, except for the occasional hollows and some training. Or as much as normal would allow.

It'd been a full year since them winning and Ichigo still couldn't get used to it. Even though the small thirst for some ass-kicking still lingered, Ichigo felt that something was majorly missing from his life, something or some_one_. He couldn't put his finger on it but something was scratching at the back of his mind, trying to tell him that he wanted something or someone.

For the life of him he couldn't figure it out and his inner hollow had made it his life's mission to continue to laugh at him about it. He had tried to talk to Zangetsu about it and all he got was a, "When it's time you will know. I cannot give you the answer." Now that was great. It was obvious that they knew what it was that was missing but wouldn't tell him.

Sighing and getting frustrated, Ichigo got ready for school. Whatever it was that he so-called wanted or needed would just have to wait. Finished, Ichigo went down stairs for some food.

"Hey, Yuzu where's dad?" he said, looking around.

"He had a patient come in early this morning."

Smiling slightly, Ichigo grabbed some food. Thank god he left. He wasn't in the mood to dodge the overly-excited man, nor was he in the mood to punch him in the face. Finishing his breakfast, Ichigo headed for the door.

Opening the door, Ichigo looked down, almost stepping on a flower. Why was there a flower on his porch outside his door? Taking a closer look, Ichigo could tell it wasn't an ordinary flower. It was a rose. A light pink _rose_. What the hell was a _rose_ doing in front of his door?

Taking the flower in the house for Yuzu to put in a vase, Ichigo hurried to school, wondering who the hell was it that had the balls to send him a flower and a rose of all things. What could it mean? Did someone have a crush on him? Or was this some joke? Deciding to ask Rukia about it, Ichigo headed for school… never noticing a pair of eyes following him.

~Present~

"Break it up boys!" Rukia glared at them, breaking the two apart.

"Sit down." Sitting down, they looked at Rukia.

"Now let's go over this again, shall we? You got up this morning like you normally do and when you opened your door there was a flower on the step?" She asked, making sure she had heard him that morning correctly

"Yes." She looked at him questioningly.

"Why type of flower was it?" He looked at her with a 'why does it even matter' face.

"It does matter, fool. Each flower has a different meaning."

Each flower had a different meaning? Seriously? How was he supposed to know that? Looking at her and thinking back, he answered.

"A light pink rose." Her eyes widened and she pulled out her 'know-it-all' book.

"Light pink rose, light pink rose. Ah, here it is."

"So what does it mean?"

"You have nothing to worry about. It says a light pink rose means friendship. Someone just wants to be friends with you." He looked at her incredulously.

"Friendship? If they wanted to be friends they just had to talk to me." She stared at him.

"Ask you? Have you seen yourself lately? You're downright scary; since the end of the war you've been acting differently. Every time someone looked like they wanted to ask you something you looked at them like you wanted to eat them for dinner." Ichigo looked at her with wide eyes.

"Seriously? I didn't notice…" Ichigo trailed off. Had he really been looking at people like that?

She shook her head and leaning over, she put her hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"It's fine. It's hard to adapt when you're no longer the savior of the world or constantly looking over your shoulder." Renji nodded with her in agreement. _Maybe I should talk to them about what I've been feeling lately…_ Ichigo thought.

Sighing and turning around in his seat, Ichigo looked out the window. There was a lot of things to think about, one of them being: Who the hell sent him that flower and why the hell had they sent it to him?


	2. Admiration

Flowers For Ichigo Chapter 2

Author's note: Thank you so much for all the reviews and questions! To answer the main one- it will be cleared up in this chapter why Ichigo thought the flower was for him. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Also sorry it took so long. I had wanted to get a couple more chapters written before I posted this one. The chapters should come more frequent depending when I get it back from my beta; she's got finals XD. Also who is the mystery person!? I would love to tell you that but I don't think you will till the next chapter. I will say this though a few people got it right.

Beta insert: Beta also has a case of the dumbs and forgets to look _back_ in her email sometimes. Sorry! Please don't kill me!

It was finally free period and Ichigo still couldn't get the whole flower issue out of his head. The more the thought about it, the more it bothered him. It wasn't like him at all to be so worried about something so little as this. What Ichigo wanted to know more than anything what was this person's objective.

It was obvious enough that this person was in fact confident enough to send him, of all people, a flower. There were many other ways people could express themselves, rather than sending a flower. They could have approached him.

Why a flower?

Why seeking his friendship?

What bothered him more then the flower itself was the fact that he was hoping- no, _anticipating_- this mystery person's next move.

"Yo, how long are you gonna stare at the board, Strawberry?" Renji asked, from his seat in front of Ichigo.

"As long as I want, Pineapple," he said, sighing.

"Hmmm…" Renji leaned closer to Ichigo's face for a better look.

"What the hell do you want? You're starting to piss me off."

"You're bothered by it!" Renji said. Looking at him incredulously, Ichigo scoffed.

"Why, he does have a brain!" Holding back a reply, Renji ran a hand through his hair and looked at Ichigo seriously.

"There's something I wanted to ask you ever since you received the flower." Glaring at Renji, Ichigo listened on.

"What is it?"

"How did you know it was for you?" Blinking in shock, Ichigo continued to stare at him.

"Huh?"

Getting more interested in Ichigo's lack of retort, Renji looked at Ichigo even more seriously. "How did you know it was for you? It wasn't like there was a note or anything…Right? So how did ya know that it was meant for you? It could have been meant for one of your sisters or something, or an admirer of you father's. Why did you assume it was meant for you? Couldn't this be all a mistake?

…..Eh?

'Yes, King, please do tell us. Why did you think it was for you?'

Ignoring his inner hollow, Ichigo continued to stare in shock. Why had he thought it was for him? Clearly there had to have been a note, right?

Right?

Thinking back over the events of that morning, there wasn't a note… Now that was strange. There had to be something that stood out in his mind that made him think that it was for him.

Right?

There must be something wrong with his head. It just seemed like it was meant for him. Right? But thinking at the situation more rationally, couldn't have been for one of his sisters? Even for his father from one of his patients? Then why had he just assumed that it was for him and been thinking and being bothered by it all morning?

"Earth to Ichigo!" Waving his hand in front of Ichigo's face, Renji tried to get the substitute shinigami's attention. "What the hell is up with you, man?" Renji sounded somewhat concerned as he continued to stare at his friend's (if you could call him that) blank stare.

Snapping out of his train of thought, Ichigo stared at Renji before grabbing his things and heading for the door.

"Tell Rukia I'll call her later on tonight. I've got to leave early today," He said, and rushed out of the door towards his home.

This day was getting stranger and stranger for Ichigo. He kept trying to figure out in his head what the hell was happening to him today.

'Yo, you're acting really weird, King.'

Stopping a few blocks from his home, Ichigo went inside himself to confront his inner hollow in hopes of getting answers.

'You know something, don't you?'

'Even if I did, like I told you earlier it's something that you must peruse on your own. Even though I'm thoroughly enjoying this spectacle.'

'Cut the shit. Why must I do this on my own? The more I think about it, the more confusing it gets. The more this doesn't make any sense whatsoever.' Ichigo clenched his fists, completely frustrated with this situation.

'It would make sense if you really looked.' Suddenly, as if he were being thrown out of his own mind, the link ended.

"What the fuck?!" Screaming in frustration and outright aggravation, Ichigo started to head to his house again. He slammed the door as he came in, and walked to the kitchen where he left the flower on the table for Yuzu to put in water. It was still there where he left it.

"That's strange, did Yuzu hear me this morning?" Shrugging, Ichigo picked up the flower and, after looking through some cabinets, found a empty single flower vase and put water in it. Looking at the flower, twirling it in his hands for a few seconds, he finally put the flower in the vase and brought it to his room, setting it down on the windowsill.

Leaning back in his bed he stared at the flower as if entranced. It really was pretty. Reaching his hand out, he delicately- as if the flower would fall apart- touched the petals, not wanting to destroy the flower. Stroking the petals, one thought came to mind.

How soft

As if the gentle touch caused the flower to awaken, the blossom glowed. As if it were talking to him, words and emotions filled his head.

Friendship

'That is what this flower means. I had wanted to find the perfect way to express the feelings that are flowing through me, as they never had before. You've shown me that friendship can be made and sustained if one so truly desires it. You are someone whose existance I cannot forget nor ignore, no matter how much I tried. I fear your existence. Please don't make me feel anything more than this…'

As if pulled from a dream Ichigo sat up abruptly from his bed in a pool of sweat. It was all so surreal. The entire dream, what the hell had it all meant? Looking at his alarm clock blinking 7:45pm, he realized he must have been out cold. Heading for the door, Ichigo looked back to the flower once more, and shrugging off the odd feeling in the back of his mind he headed down the stairs.

"Anybody home?" Glancing around the house, Ichigo heard some noises from the kitchen and headed there.

"In the kitchen, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu replied, setting dinner on the table.

"Where's the old man and Karin?" He questioned, sitting down at the table yawing.

"Dad called and said he had urgent business and will be gone for a couple of days. He said he left some money in the pot by the door if we need anything while he is away and Karin is staying at a friend's tonight." Finished with putting dinner on the table, Yuzu sat across from Ichigo.

"Ah~. Hey, Yuzu, you know that flower I told you to put in water this morning, what happened? I found it on the table when I came back home." Ichigo asked as he dug into his dinner.

Glancing at her brother strangely, Yuzu looked up from her food.

"I didn't forget. There was nothing there to put in water." Starting at his sister almost stupidly, Ichigo blinked.

"Huh? I put it on the table for you, what do you mean there was nothing there?"

"I'm telling the truth- when I looked there was nothing there…are you feeling okay, Ichi-nii?" Setting his chopsticks down, Ichigo stared at her and thought back to when he came home… he thought it was weird himself. Even though it hadn't been in water at all and in the heat of the house all day, the flower was in perfect condition. That was strange.

Maybe…

"Never mind," he said and, picking up his chopsticks again, Ichigo finished his dinner and rushed upstairs. Locking himself in his room, he approached the flower and closed his eyes to concentrate on the bloom, letting his reitsu flow. It started to glow with someone else's reitsu. 'That's why Yuzu didn't see it. Someone had masked the flower with their own reistu to hide it. That means whoever left this wanted me to see it.' He realized. So that answered it.

The flower _was_ meant for him.

And the person who sent it was someone from Soul Society.

Grabbing his cell from his pocket, Ichigo called Rukia.

"Yo, Ichigo. What happened today? You completely disappeared. I was waiting for your call; Renji told me what he asked you about and how weird you were acting afterwards. What happened?" Rukia questioned.

.

"Never mind that, things just got much weirder." Ichigo began explaining everything- from Yuzu not being able to see the flower and how once he touched it he had that dream and about the message and the weird things Shirosaki was saying to him all day.

"Now this is getting interesting. I'm going to look into a few things, let me know tomorrow if you get another flower. I'll see you in school."

Hanging up the phone, Ichigo ran a hand through his hair. As he laid down in his bed he decided there was nothing more he could do about his situation today. He would sleep on it in hopes things would be clearer in the morning.

Getting up the next morning, Ichigo felt a twinge of anticipation- had he received another flower from his secret admirer? He hoped things would be much clearer. Getting dressed, Ichigo grabbed a small breakfast and headed for the door. He was hesitating slightly, he realized, before he shut his eyes and opened the door. Opening his eyes and looking down at his doorstep there it was.

His answer.

There it was another flower. If his memory served him right from the years of his mother's love for flowers, this one was a white bell flower.

Picking up the flower and putting it in the house, Ichigo headed for school. Ichigo started to smile his thoughts came to another conclusion from all this.

He wanted to meet this person.

He really did.


	3. Gratitude

Autho's Note: Thanks to all of those who reviewed! : D I'm sorry again for the long wait! This chapter was literary fighting me. It was suppose to be out MUCH sooner it was already done but then I had to go back and fix things and fixing some errors turned into me redoing it. ^^; Also my beta's been busy. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Flowers for Ichigo chapter 3: Gratitude

"So you got another flower?" Rukia asked looking at Ichigo closely.

"Yeap, this morning." He answered with a slight smile on his face. Blinking rapidly, Rukia stared at Ichigo.

"A-A-Are you smiling?" she asked, shock written all over her face. Shock was definitely what Rukia was feeling-was she seeing things right? Ichigo… Ichigo was smiling? Smiling about receiving a flower? Wasn't it just yesterday he was cursing and getting sick over the thought of someone having the balls to give him a flower? But instead of seeing him flare up, making her want to crack more jokes and have this be an ongoing event… He…He was smiling?

Now she was completely lost. Ichigo wasn't just smiling to smile. She knew what type of smile that was. It was a smile of intrigue and anticipation.

Ichigo was anticipating his secret admirers next move.

"That's just creepy as hell," Renji said, interrupting Rukia's train of thought.

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, snapping out of his own world.

"I said it's fucking creepy. You smiling like that with that look on your face." Renji said as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"No one asked you for your opinion, pineapple head," Ichigo retorted, getting some of his wits back.

"Look, don't get bitchy with me. Who told you to stare off into space with a creepy look on your face?" Renji asked, emphasizing his point by reenacting the face.

"Like I said, no one asked you to look."

Narrowing his eyes, Renji contemplated the events of the past two days. Even thought he thoroughly enjoyed poking fun at the Strawberry's predicament, he had to admit things were getting strange. When Ichigo first received the flower, Renji predicted that it was from some fan from his fan club or maybe someone trying to pick a fight with the substitute shinigami, but those were blown out of the water when Ichigo received the second flower. Now the redhead wasn't sure of much anymore.

Finally coming back to her senses, Rukia looked at Ichigo. "What kind of flower was it this time?" she asked with a serious look.

Ichigo then proceeded to fill Rukia and Renji in on everything, including the message and how it was locked with someone's reiatsu.

"So at least we know whoever it is isn't a normal human, or for that matter human at all." Rukia said, feeling that things hadn't been as simple as she thought before.

Running a hand through his hair, Ichigo looked at Rukia seriously. "Doesn't this pose a problem though? Isn't there a high chance that I know this person first hand? It could be someone we all know for that matter."

"Especially since whoever this person is a master at concealing their reiatsu. We should definitely take a look at the flower to examine it." Renji said, suddenly getting more into the whole ordeal.

"You guys can come over today if you want," Ichigo offered.

"Today isn't good for me. I'm meeting up with Taichou later on to help him find housing," Renji said.

"Byakuya nii-san is coming?" Rukia asked, bewildered. She had no idea her brother was coming to Karakura.

Ichigo turned to Renji. "Byakuya needs housing? Why?"

"Taichou said he had some stuff he has to do here so he wanted to me find him somewhere to stay. I would offer my place, but I'm already staying with (insert someone)."

"I wonder what's going on…" Rukia said in confusion. It was highly unlikely that whatever her brother had to do would take long enough for him to need a place to stay. Something must be going on.

"Maybe he has some urgent business to attend to? You know how busy he is," Ichigo pitched in.

"True…" Rukia replied. "By the way, what type of housing?" she asked, looking over at Renji.

"What type? Just a normal one bedroom with the necessities I guess. Taichou didn't really specify. Why?" he asked, wondering why Rukia was asking so many questions.

"Well, why have him spend money when nii-san can stay with one of us? Not only that, if he needs help, then one of us can be of assistance." Rukia said matter of factly.

"I don't know anything, really. He said it was just some mission he needed to complete in a few days," Renji answered, shrugging. Even though he was vice-captain, there were certain things that he didn't know. Especially when they concerned Byakuya's personal matters.

"I see…hmm…" Turning and looking Ichigo dead in the eye, Rukia got a certain gleam in her own. It was a gleam he knew all too well. It was the gleam that screamed he was fucked and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"Ichigo…Nii-san will be staying with you." She said, crossing her arms and nodding her head in agreement to her own statement.

"What?" Ichigo sputtered. "Stay with me? Why can't he stay with you or Renji?" Yeah, why couldn't he stay with them?! Why him?! Not that he had an issue with Byakuya or anything, but didn't the 6th division captain hate his guts?

Looking at Ichigo with that 'I'm glad you aksed' face she replied. "Well for starters, Renji is staying at Urahara-san's your father's away you have room." She concluded.

"….So because my father is away and I have room you feel the need to place Byakuya in my house?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"Yes."

Holding a hand to his face and the other in a stopping motion Ichigo continued. "Okay so let's say I do have room and he can stay with me. Do you think Byakuya would even want to be in the same room as me for a couple of days, let alone the same breathing space?"

That's right, even if he said okay to Rukia's idea that didn't mean the Kuchiki head would want to be in his company. Like he said, didn't he hate him?

"Nii-san doesn't hate you per se. Nii-sama just thinks you're a fool to some degree and your existence is a waste to the world."

"…..Thank you, I _now _know he doesn't hate my guts- he just thinks I shouldn't have been born because I'm a waste of chromosomes."

"Oh come on! You know I'm just joking. Trust me, everything is going to be fine. I'll go with Renji after school and let Nii-sama know he will be staying with you. I knew I could count on you, Ichigo!" Rukia said excitedly, heading to the door for her free period at the sound of the bell.

"Wait! I didn't say he could stay! Rukia!" Ichigo shouted after her.

"Your life sucks but you shouldn't worry so much, Strawberry, it's not like Taichou will agree to Rukia's suggestion. So you have nothing to worry about." Renji said giving Ichigo an 'I pity you' look.

"Fuck my life…" Giving up and laying his head on his desk, Ichigo thought he life couldn't get any worse. Renji had a point though. It wasn't like Byakuya wanted to stay with him. Not only that, it wasn't like he wanted Byakuya to hate him, he had hoped that after the war they could get close to some degree.

He admired Byakuya's strength, cold aloofness, and distinctively dangerous beauty. Hell, he had spent a good amount of trying to prove his strength and usefulness to the Kuchiki head many times during many battles but it seemed to not work. Getting more depressed, Ichigo sighed and groaned. He couldn't help that he kind of wanted Byakuya to want to stay with him. Thinking about it more it seemed strange.

Very strange indeed.

Why did he want Byakuya's approval so much? Maybe it had to do with Rukia? Or just to prove to someone strong that he was strong too?

Maybe?

Possibly?

'You keep telling yourself that, king.' Shirosaki piped in on Ichigo's last thought

'Shut it asshole. I'm not in the mood.'

Chuckling at Ichigo's predicament, Shirosaki faded, but not without sending Ichigo on final chuckle of amusement.

For fuck's sake, couldn't he be left alone to his own thoughts for a day? Closing his eyes tighter, Ichigo tried to get through the day in peace.

If he could get that much, that is.

After school ended, Ichigo's body felt heavy. He would go home, eat, take a shower and crash.

All in that order.

Leaving school, Ichigo sent Rukia a text telling her that he was leaving first. He didn't feel up to finding the short shinigami. He just wanted to go home and think about today's events. Making it home Ichigo looked around for Yuzu. Not seeing her anywhere, Ichigo made his way through the house and spotted his sister nowhere. That was strange. Scratching his head, Ichigo rummaged through the fridge and fixed himself some leftovers from the night before.

While eating, Ichigo thought over the notion of Byakuya staying with him for a few days. That is, if he agreed.

Yeah, right.

Just thinking hypothetically for a moment, Ichigo considered the positives. It wouldn't be so bad. He had wanted to become closer to Byakuya anyway and maybe become a 'friend' to some degree. Not only that, but his sister would be here with him. So things wouldn't be bad…besides Byakuya hating him.

Ah, the hate part…_that_ was the problem. He didn't feel up to dealing with that shit either, especially when he has the 'flower' issue to deal with.

Just too much shit and no toilet in sight.

Finishing his dinner and washing his dishes, Ichigo headed upstairs feeling exhausted. All this crap was too taxing in one day. Stopping at his door, Ichigo noticed a note taped to it.

'_Ichi-nii! I'll be staying with a friend for the next couple of days. I left some food in the freezer, and I made extra just in case! I know you can take care of yourself. If you need me just give me a call!' _

_Love Yuzu._

What the hell!? Why was everyone leaving so conveniently?!?!? Especially with all this shit happening?! Rubbing his temples, Ichigo walked in his room and set the note down before collapsing on his bed. Ichigo looked over at the two flowers in the vase he had put on his windowsill. Picking up the white bellflower he found this morning, Ichigo stared at it. What did this flower mean? Rummaging through his bag, Ichigo found the flower dictionary Rukia had given to him after the first flower. Flipping through the pages he finally found the white bellflower page.

_Admiration_

It meant admiration. First this person wanted friendship, now he admired him? What had he done to gain this person's admiration? If it was someone who knew about the battles with Aizen, then that was one thing. Then he could understand. It didn't make sense though-why was this person doing things from afar? Whoever it was, if they really admired him and wanted to be his friend, why the flower bit? Why not just confront him and tell him? Lying on his back, Ichigo looked at the flower more closely in the moonlight. Maybe this flower had a note like the last one. Sure enough, the same funny looking symbols appeared and Ichigo found himself again in a dream like state with nothing but words flowing through his conscious.

'Do you know what it means to admire someone? If you do, then you know the feeling I feel the most. I admire you, Kurosaki Ichigo. Your strength, your preservation in the belief in the bonds you have acquired through your endless efforts.

Admiration…

It only exists when things are out of your reach.

You are someone I cannot reach but dream of reaching some day.

If you will allow me to.'

Waking up to the sound of his doorbell ringing, Ichigo groaned and rolled out of bed. Looking at his clock it glowed, blinking 5:45.

"Shit, who is it this early?!" Ichigo said, running a hand through his hair before hearing the doorbell again.

"I'm coming! God, who the hell is it?" Storming downstairs, Ichigo threw the door open to be face to face with none other then Byakuya himself.

"I'm glad you finally decided to join the living. " Byakuya said in all his glory.

"B..B…Byakuya?" Ichigo practically screeched. What the hell was happening?

"I assume by the look on your face you did not receive Rukia's message." He said.

"Message? What message? Looking through in his pocket he noticed his cell phone was on silent. Cursing under his breath, he looked at his messages. Sure enough, there was a message from Rukia.

**Ichigo! Nii-sama said he would be staying with you! Didn't I tell you! Nii-sama doesn't hate you. I trust you to make sure nii-sama gets done what he needs to. Oh by the way school is out for a couple of days, you left early so you didn't get the announcement- some thing about renovating some of the classes. Lucky you! You get to spend time with nii-sama and find out who your secret admirer is!**

**Good luck!! **

Dropping his phone, Ichigo looked up at Byakuya.

"By the way, do you always just have random flowers laying on your door step?" He asked, lifting said flower up in front of him.

Still unable to speak, Ichigo continued to stare at Byakuya and the flower in shock.

Yes, someone must have hated his guts.


	4. Inspiration

Flowers For Ichigo Chapter 4: Inspiration

Authors Note: Please forgive the long wait. I just recently started a new job so things were getting a bit tough for me to write. I'm not 100% happy with the chapter but hopefully you guys will still enjoy it. I'm hoping to get the next chapter out faster but we will see. Don't fret though this story will be completed without a doubt. Thanks always to my beta who's also been waiting patiently for me to send her this chapter. ^^;

Someone really had to have hated his guts. There was just too much going on and he was starting to get a headache. Looking over at Byakuya, Ichigo still couldn't figure out what he was doing in his house. Running a hand through his hair, he continued to stare. It just didn't make sense.

Was he doing this to piss him off? If so, he wasn't in the mood to deal with the cold aloof beauty. Sighing heavily, Ichigo looked in the cool eyes of the main reason for his stress at the moment, besides the self-loathing and the plot to get Rukia back in the worst possible way.

"Do you intend to stare at all day?" Byakuya asked, equally staring down at Ichigo. He still couldn't believe he had accepted his sister's idea for staying with the substitute shinigami. How he allowed her to persuade him still didn't make sense, even now that he was face to face with the man. She did have that charm about her; even if he wanted to deny her he sometimes found it nearly impossible. Hence his presence in the substitute's home. He could remember it now.

**Flash back**

"So you can stay at Ichigo's," she said, beaming.

"Ichigo…said I could stay with him?"

"Yeah, that's what he said. Aren't you glad you get to stay with Ichigo?"

Raising an eyebrow, he stared at her. "Glad? I feel white hairs growing already."

"Oh, you don't mean that. I know for a fact that you have a soft spot for Ichigo." She said

with a certain look in her eyes. The look she had was something that bothered him some.

She knew something.

"Soft spot isn't what I would call it."

"Sure, Nii-sama, whatever you say. So make sure you get packed up. I'll let him know

your coming." She said, darting out the door and waving back at him.

"Wait, Rukia!" Putting a hand over his face, Byakuya knew he was in for a long week.

**end of flash back**

"No, I don't intend to stare at you all day," grumbled Ichigo, who shifted on his feet to get a better look at Byakuya. Not much had changed with the Kuchiki head, other than the possibility that he had grown more beautiful over the past few years. He was far too pretty to be a man. That fair skin flawless without a hit of a battle scar, that disgustingly dark as midnight hair that seemed to flow down like a river. Soft looking lips that looked too soft to be human flesh. Closing his eyes briefly, Ichigo shook his head, not even waiting to go down that path.

Over the time he had spent in Soul Society he had grown accustomed to the beauty of the Senbonsakura owner. It wasn't that he was interested or anything- maybe it was because he hadn't seen the man in forever that his eyes were drinking in the sight of him. Licking his lips, he looked down at the man's frame. Still fit as usual. He knew what was hidden beneath the clothes of the man that held his head high with dignity and power that dared you to say otherwise. The body that moved just like the sakura petals that fell silently and beautifully.

Shaking his head again, Ichigo tried to focus. He really needed to snap out of his daze. Then again, he had admired all that was the powerful and respected 6th division captain.

"Are you positive? Because you're still doing it." Byakuya said, coughing a little. The man's eyes were intensely on him and it was slightly embarrassing.

Putting his hand on the table with his hands folded, Ichigo looked Byakuya right in the eyes. "Do you really want to stay here for a couple of days? You don't have to force yourself just because Rukia said so."

Looking back at Ichigo with the same even stare, Byakuya sat up some and leaned his head on his hand. "Why, if I didn't know any better I would say you don't want me in your company, Kurosaki." Byakuya said, tucking a few strands of hair behind his ear. He hated not wearing his Kenseikan_. _Without it he had to deal with the trials of having long hair in his face.

Taken aback, Ichigo coughed slightly, a hint of blush on his cheeks. "I never said that! I mean, wouldn't you rather stay at your own place by yourself without a nuisance around?" he asked.

"How right you are. That's why I'm staying here. I find you to be much less of a nuisance than the other two. Also about being alone, there were no accommodations that I found that suited my needs." He said, sitting back up in his chair.

"Riight…" Not completely convinced, Ichigo decided not to press the issue. Even though he was itching to know why the man was in his house, he decided to let it go because if he dug any deeper things might get out of hand.

Feeling that was the last of Ichigo prying anymore into his sudden decision to intrude on his life, Byakuya put the flower on the table. "This was on your door step. I didn't know you like flowers, Kurosaki."

Slightly smirking Ichigo picked up the flower and examined it closely. This would be number three. Taking a closer look, Ichigo was able to determine the type: an ivy flower. What did this one mean?

"Would you know the meaning of this flower?"

Raising an eyebrow, Byakuya looked at the flower. "Since when were you so interested in flowers?"

"Since I've gotten a stalker." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"Stalker?" Byakuya looked at Ichigo incredulously and with a little of something Ichigo couldn't recognize. "You have a stalker?"

Shrugging, Ichigo twirled the flower around his fingers. "Not really a stalker but an admirer I guess. Someone who thinks way too highly of me."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I want to find out who. That's why I'm glad you're here." Looking at Byakuya seriously, Ichigo set the flower back down on the table. "Whoever this person is, they have the ability to mask their presence from the normal eye. When I got the first one my sister couldn't see it at all. Then when I took a closer look I realized they had made it invisible to the normal eye."

"Fascinating," Byakuya said with a strange look on his face.

"Fascinating? You find this fascinating?

"Yes, whoever this person is, they are smarter then you think. Masking one's aura within an object is not something so easily done. Not only that- for you to be able to break the seal on the locked reiastu is something extraordinary in itself. You've gotten stronger," Byakuya said with an uncharacteristic smile.

Ichigo's breath caught in his throat. Not only had Byakuya complimented him, but he also seemed to be delighted at that fact and had even smiled. This day couldn't get anymore bizarre.

Coughing and clearing his throat, Ichigo stood from the table and grabbed the flower. "Enough about this, how about we put your bags upstairs?"

Standing and giving a nod, Byakuya followed Ichigo upstairs.

"It's just going to be the two of us in the house, I hope you don't mind."

"The two of us? What happened to your family?"

"They all decided to have other plans," Ichigo said with a hint of bitterness.

Raising an eyebrow Byakuya said nothing except, "where will I be staying?"

"…."

"Kurosaki?" Byakuya asked, stopping as Ichigo stopped right in front of him. He had just remembered something very important that he should have remembered before he agreed to Byakuya staying.

"Fuck." Turning towards Byakuya, Ichigo froze.

"You don't have a problem with us sharing a room do you?" Even though he had other rooms in the house, he didn't feel right letting Byakuya stay in his sisters' or his dad's room; anyway, he doubted Byakuya would have agreed. He himself didn't feel comfortable without being in his own bed as well.

Eyes going slightly wide, Byakuya looked at Ichigo. "Why would we need to share a room? You don't have any other accommodations?"

Ichigo scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "You see, we did have a guest room but my dad doing some random remodeling crap completely destroyed it," he said, shrugging. "You can take a look if you don't believe me." Leading the way, Ichigo stopped in front of a door at the end the hall and opened the door revealing… not a room- no. It couldn't even be called a room. Was the man insane? Looking around the room even for a few seconds had him on the verge of losing his early dinner. The room was just, for lack of better word, 'gaudy'. He had painted the room in different colors; everything in the room looked like it didn't even belong in there. It was like he was either color blind or slightly off.

Turning fast on the heels, Byakuya left that room before he might lose all control and destroy it.

Noticing Byakuya had turned on his heels and left the area where he was standing, he closed the door and tried to catch up with the noble. "Hey, wait!"

Stopping in front of a random door, Byakuya turned to Ichigo. "Staying with you is fine."

"Oh, okay." Feeling slightly relived and yet still nervous, Ichigo noticed that by coincidence or luck the room Byakuya had stopped in front of was in fact his own. "Well, this is where I call 'home'." Opening the door, Ichigo walked inside.

Following him inside, Byakuya took a quick look around. This room unlike the 'other room' was simple but had an air of comfort to it. With the bed by the window and warm colors gracing the walls, Byakuya could feel himself relax . He had a desk by the wall across from the bed and the room was quite spacious.

"This will do fine." Setting his bag down, Byakuya turned to Ichigo. "Where will I be sleeping?"

Crossing his arms across his chest, Ichigo thought. "You could take the bed and I can grab some blankets and sleep on the floor."

The floor?

"I wouldn't make you sleep on the floor; this is your house. I'll take the floor."

"No, I insist. You can take the bed, I have no problem sleeping on the floor."

Shaking his head, the noble had to disagree. He just didn't feel right having the substitute shinigami give up his own comfort to quell his own.

Sighing, Ichigo came up with the only thought he could, hoping that it wouldn't get him killed in the process.

"We can share…." Noticing the look of pure surprise on Byakuya's face, Ichigo's face started to turn red. "I mean, the bed is big enough and we can sleep in different directions….you know, feet to head….oh, I don't know, nevermind…

Shaking his head to clear the surprise that briefly showed on his face, Byakuya made up his mind. He didn't really understand what was going on with him today... "That would be fine."

"What….I mean, cool…" Coughing a little and clearing his throat, Ichigo couldn't believe it. Byakuya was actually going to sleep in the same bed as him…feeling slightly conflicted as well as another strange feeling, Ichigo decided to put it out of his mind for now.

'Smooth, king. Real smooth.'

"Shut up." he growled.

"I'm sorry?" Byakuya asked, confused.

"No…nothing."

'Sure it's nothing, king.'

'Would you disappear?'

'Sure…whatever you want, king…I'll leave you to your own devices with the stick but I will leave you with a few words. That feeling you're feeling might lead you to the answer you're looking for.'

Brown eyes widened in shock as the link shut off.

"Kurosaki?" Byakuya looked at Ichigo questioningly.

Gathering himself together, he looked back to Byakuya. "No, I'm sorry. It's nothing."

Saying nothing more, Byakuya opened his bag and pulled out a yukata for sleeping. "May I use your shower?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure. It's the first door on your left down the hall."

Nodding his thanks, Byakuya headed to the bathroom.

"Wait, he's going to take a shower in my house…." Shaking his head, Ichigo decided not to think anymore of it. Sighing and plopping himself down on his bed, Ichigo could feel the exhaustion of the day finally hit him. These next couple of days were going to be a real test of endurance. He just hoped with everything that was going on he could handle it, especially considering the fact that he still had to deal with his secret admirer. Laying down on his bed and looking at the ceiling, Ichigo pulled the flower out from his pocket.

"Now what is it this time?"

Gratitude

'Grateful…

It's what I feel towards you.

Without even realizing it you stepped into my life like a hurricane. Grateful towards you for many things…I hope one day, if you will…

That you would allow me to show you that gratitude one day.'

"Kurosaki?" Byakuya said for the thousandth time and shaking the inattentive boy.

"Huh? He said, cracking his eye open a bit. "Byakuya? What's going on?" Sitting up some, he noticed the sleeping attire of the 13th division head and shook his head in awe. Could something really be that beautiful?

"You were moaning and shaking your head. Are you alright?" He asked, sounding somewhat worried.

"Yea…. Don't worry about it." Looking down he noticed the flower was on the windowsill. He must have passed out again after the vision.

Giving him that strange look again, Byakuya didn't press the issue further.

" I would like to retire for the night, if you don't mind."

"Huh? Oh sure."

Scooting over, Ichigo moved closer to the window. "Are you sure you're okay with this arrangement…I can really sleep on the floor"

Getting into the bed next to Ichigo, Byakuya turned towards the door.

"It's fine. Now sleep. I require your assistance tomorrow."

"You need my help?"

"Yes. We will discuss it tomorrow. Good night Kurosaki-kun." Closing his eyes, Byakuya feel asleep.

"Right…Night." Closing his eyes and trying his best to ignore the scent that was positively surrounding him, Ichigo fell asleep.

Turning around after feeling the substitute shinigami fall into the land of dreams, Byakuya looked at his sleeping form.

"Very much grateful…" Smiling a little and turning back around, Byakuya fell asleep. Tomorrow would be another day.

Feeling the light on his face, Ichigo cracked an eye open to the morning sun.

"It's morning already?" Turning over to his side, Ichigo noticed that Byakuya was already up. Looking over to his clock he saw it was blaring 7:00. "Damn, he wakes up early."

Deciding that there was no point, Ichigo got up and headed into the hallway. Ichigo guessed that Byakuya was in the shower when he heard the water running, so going downstairs and into the kitchen, he grabbed a cup of water.

"Today's going to be a long day." He was getting the eerie feeling that things where just beginning. As he was trying to squash the feeling of anxiety, the door bell rang.

'Ding dong!'

"Who the hell could that be?" Going to the door, Ichigo opened it.

"Why hello, Kurosaki-kun!" Said a voice he knew all too well... Looking him straight in the eye was the smiling face of the Shinigami Item selling shop headman he knew all too well.

"Urahara…"

"Why yes, it has been a long time… But before we get down to the formalities…Kurosaki-kun, I didn't know you liked flowers." Holding up said flower Ichigo knew for sure…

Today was definitely going to be one of those days.


End file.
